text:
Plumbing and industrial supplies distribution giant Ferguson announced a major expansion on Aug. 2 in the form of a trio of acquisitions across three different industries.
The Newport News, Virginia-based company said that it has acquired plumbing distributor Bruce Supply Corp. (Brooklyn, New York); waterworks distributor The Kennedy Companies (Mount Laurel, New Jersey); and HVAC distributor S. G. Torrice (Wilmington, Massachusetts).
Ferguson said the three companies generate aggregate annual revenues of approximately $450 million.
MDM’S SHIFT Conference, held Sept. 18-20 in Denver, brings together distribution leaders to learn and network across topics of sales & marketing, digital transformation, data analytics and talent management. Find more info here.
“Bruce Supply, Kennedy and S. G. Torrice are great cultural fits for Ferguson and will help us better serve commercial mechanical, waterworks, and plumbing and HVAC trade professionals in key growing markets across the U.S.,” Ferguson Chief Executive Officer Kevin Murphy said in a news release. “All three companies have great reputations and associates with strong local customer relationships that will help fuel our future organic growth.”
Bruce Supply is a plumbing distributor that serves commercial, mechanical, residential, HVAC and fire and fabrication contractors in the New York City metro region. Founded in 1969, it has six locations in New York and New Jersey. Ferguson said Bruce Supply further enhances its PVF, hydronics and fire protection and fabrication offerings in the NYC Metro area — the nation’s largest market.
Founded in 1973, The Kennedy Companies is a distributor of piping and related water, storm, sewer and erosion control products. Kennedy has nine locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. Ferguson said Kennedy expands its PVF, geotextile, stormwater and erosion control capabilities to more water and waste treatment plant and municipal customers in the mid-Atlantic region.
S. G. Torrice is a distributor of HVAC equipment, parts and supplies in New England. Founded in 1958, the company has 15 locations across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Ferguson said S. G. Torrice expands its ability to serve dual-trade plumbing and HVAC professionals in the New England region.
Ferguson noted that it has completed more than 50 acquisitions in the past five years. This past December, Ferguson announced the acquisition of Tualatin, Oregon-based HVAC distributor Airefco, which added 11 locations and 191 employees to Ferguson’s footprint.
With $28.6 billion in 2022 revenues, Ferguson was prominently featured in MDM’s 2023 Top Distributors Lists as the No. 1 Plumbing Distributor, as well as No. 8 in Industrial, No. 2 in HVACR, No. 2 in Industrial PVF and No. 7 in Building Materials/Construction.


text:
Custom and classic cars, hot rods and trick trucks will be out in Ocean City this weekend for the 16th annual Endless Summer Cruisin’ event at the inlet parking lot and 40th Street convention center.
Events kicks off Thursday with car shows, vendor showings and awards presentations and continue through Sunday, with more than 2,000 automobiles on the streets and on display.
The main events take place at the inlet, where car shows run throughout the weekend, said event promoter and organizer Meredith Herbert of Special Event Productions Inc.
Endless Summer Cruisin’ starts at 8 a.m. with a Boardwalk parade. Cars will start at 27th Street and travel to the inlet parking lot, where the day’s other events take place.
At the inlet and convention center, car shows will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Around 30 vendors will be on site selling “anything from nostalgia automotive-related items to jewelry,” Herbert said. There will be live entertainment.
At the inlet, national names like Chevy Performance, Classic Underwriters, Delaware Tire Center, Dynomax, Flowmaster, Maryland Lottery, Miller Electric, MSD Performance, Optima Batteries, Royal Purple, Slide-Lok and Summit Racing will be on display at the Manufacturer Midway.
Endless Summer Cruisin’ also features celebrities each year, who do meet and greets, photo ops and answer questions.
The fun never stops for car enthusiasts during the Endless Summer event in Ocean City, MD! With entertainment, games, giveaways, car shows, and parades.
Saturday morning kicks off with another Boardwalk parade of cars at 8 a.m., followed by a full day of shows at the inlet and convention center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On Sunday, the show will take place at the inlet only, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ferrigno and Strange will appear from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
At 2 p.m., the Grand Finale Awards Ceremony starts. Around 400 awards will go to the winners among the more than 2,000 annual registrants. Events wrap up around 4 p.m.
Hundreds of additional cars will arrive this weekend for other festivities in and around town. There will be a few other sponsored car shows in the area:
Held in conjunction with Endless Summer Cruisin’, the 33rd annual Hot Rod and Custom Car Show is back at the convention center. Bright paint, bright chrome and tricked out America street rides distinguish the event, which features around 60 custom and classic cars, trick trucks, muscle cars and other automobiles.
A day pass to Endless Summer Cruisin’ admits visitors to the Hot Rod & Custom Car Show.
A few miles further from Ocean City, Berlin will host its Fall Cruisers event on Saturday. Classic cars will line the streets of the historic district starting at 7 a.m., with judging of antique cars, hot rods and trucks to take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Up to 200 cars will line the parking lot and Main Street until 2 p.m.

domain: news


text:
There is a tussle between the Center and the Delhi government regarding the ration distribution scheme in Delhi. 1- Meanwhile, the Delhi Government has decided to implement the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme of the Central Government in Delhi.
This decision will benefit the migrants who have ration cards from other states and who have been identified in their native state under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Delhi Government has decided to implement a ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme to distribute free ration to PDS cardholders for July 2021 under NFSA, 2013, and PMGKAY.
The free ration will be available through the e-PoS machine in a phased manner.
According to the information received by the Delhi government, all the beneficiaries across Delhi will get free ration through e-PoS machine on biometric authentication at ration shops (FPS) in a phased manner. Instructions have been given to all the ration shops to mandatorily put up a board outside the shop with all necessary information about the eligibility of the beneficiaries.
All Zonal Assistant Commissioners, Circle Food Safety Officers, and Food Security Inspectors have been directed to ensure ration distribution at all ration shops through e-PoS as per the guidelines of the One Nation One Card Policy.
2- The decision to provide free ration to NFS and AAY beneficiaries.
In Delhi, under the Public Distribution System (PDS) under the National Food Security Act 2013, NFS beneficiaries in the PR and PRS categories are given 5 kg food grains every month, consisting of 4 kg of wheat and 1 kg of rice. The regular eligibility under the AAY category is 25 kg wheat, 10 kg rice, and 1 kg sugar per family.
Under the scheme, wheat at Rs 2 per kg, rice Rs 3 per kg, and sugar Rs 13.50 per kg are given to the beneficiaries on normal days. But the Delhi government has decided to provide free ration to NFS and AAY beneficiaries in the light of people’s current financial situation due to corona. Apart from this, every PDS beneficiary (PR, PRS, and AAY) is entitled to 4 kg wheat and 1 kg rice per month in July 2021 under PMGKAY.
3- Will give adequate information to the beneficiaries about the availability of ration.
According to a statement issued by Delhi’s Food and Supplies Minister Imran Hussain, the Food and Supplies Department has made every effort to meet the food requirements of the poor and vulnerable sections of the city, including NFS beneficiaries during the lockdown. The Delhi government had earlier provided free ration to NFS beneficiaries for May-June 2021 as well. The government has decided to continue the distribution of free ration till November 2021. We have decided to implement the ‘One Nation One Card Policy’ to provide free ration to migrants in Delhi.
All the FPS licensees have been directed to take necessary precautions while distributing the ration to ensure their safety as well as the safety of the beneficiaries. All FPS beneficiaries will be given adequate information about the availability of ration to avoid any inconvenience to the beneficiaries. Beneficiaries can contact the Assistant Commissioner of Food Department, Food Supply Officer, and Food Supply Inspector for any complaint related to ration. They can contact the helpline number 1967 and other grievance redressal portals of the Delhi Government including PGMS.


text:
As a full-service trade show exhibit provider, TradeTec Skyline relies heavily on the creative talent of professional designers. Yet, it goes without saying that a creative industry can’t survive without new generations of young professionals moving into the field.
TSNN, the top online news source for the trade show industry, launched Corporate Event News (www.CorporateEventNews.com) - a brand new web site and enewsletter for corporate event professionals.
This new online hub for industry news, insights, and original content will focus on the information, education and tools for high level corporate meeting and event marketers.
High-Tech Interactive Art Piece Showcased at Greater Columbus Convention Center Grand Reopening Celebration
To commemorate the completion of its $140 million expansion and renovation project, the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio did what most event facilities would do: host a grand reopening celebration to show off its newly expanded and beautified digs.
But instead of just carrying out the usual fanfare at this special event, held Aug. 31, the downtown Columbus facility had another surprise up its sleeve: the reveal of a giant, 3-D interactive art piece.
Clarion Events appointed Greg Topalian CEO of Clarion UX and LeftField Media.
The event veteran’s 20-year career has included launching New York Comic Con in 2006 and founding boutique event company LeftField Media in 2014.
With his reputation for building dynamic cultures in the markets he serves, Topalian’s people-first approach and ability to attract and retain top talent have propelled the growth of his events both organically and through acquisition, according to Clarion officials.
From Facebook Live to Periscope to YouTube, live streaming is more popular than ever. In fact, some marketing analysts have dubbed live streaming “the future of social media.” You can live stream everything from a backyard softball game to a congressional hearing.
The IMEX Group has announced the future dates and locations for IMEX America through 2025, which includes moving its usual October dates to September for two years in 2019 and 2020.
“We know that our industry partners from across North America and around the world plan numerous activities and co-located events around IMEX America,” said Ray Bloom, chairman of IMEX Group, which owns and runs the hosted buyer trade show and conference for the incentive travel, meetings and events industry.
Eventerprise, a digital event platform that connects event organizers with event suppliers, including products, services, planners and venues, has released a new version of its platform.
The multi-sided SaaS platform connects event businesses with clients through free, interactive profiles that showcase each event planner’s or supplier’s unique offerings, key strengths and any transparent client reviews or ratings.
Since opening its doors March 1, the Albany Capital Center in New York has been a busy building.
To date, the six-month-old convention facility has hosted 83 events, with 47 contracted events still to come this year for a total of 130 events scheduled. Total events for 2017 span 184 event days, resulting in 4,225 booked hotel room nights and drawing upwards of 60,000 guests to downtown Albany.
Since 2008, there has been a statistic making its way around the Internet that the EPA ranked the trade show industry as the second most wasteful industry - second only to manufacturing. You may have heard this statistic before. I have even used that information in an article I wrote for TSNN. Recently, I decided to look deeper into that stat that gives a bad rap to our industry. What I discovered was that even on the EPA website, I can find no reference to this statistic.
U.K.-based Tarsus Group, the international business-to-business media group, and international trade show organizer D.C.-based E.J. Krause & Associates, have agreed to expand the terms of their 50 percent owned joint venture (the “JV”) in Mexico, to include EJK and Tarsus now owning all EJK Mexico’s event portfolio through the expanded EJK TARSUS JV.
This strengthened EJK Tarsus JV will accelerate continued growth through new launches, JVs, and continued brand replication throughout the Mexican marketplace.


text:
Amazon has a new plan to get kids reading.
The tech giant on Wednesday launched Amazon Rapids, a reading app aimed at 7-to-12-year-olds. The paid app contains hundreds of stories, all told in dialogue animated to look like text messages.
The interactive app allows readers to swipe back and forth through dialogue, prompting each new message to appear on the screen. Until the reader prompts the next message to appear, the character who speaks next will even look like they’re typing, with the three dots familiar to anyone with iMessage.
The app, available on iOS, Android and Amazon Fire, has “hundreds” of stories and will add “dozens” each month, Robinson said.
The app allows readers to look up words they don’t know and save them to a glossary. It includes a “read to me” feature for the app to read the dialogue out loud.
The stories are written by children’s authors, many of whom have written Amazon-exclusive children’s books in the past. Professional illustrators, many of whom have also worked with Amazon before, draw the stories’ accompanying illustrations.
A piece in the Observer about the resurgense in book sales (particularly in children’s publishing) feautres The Book Nook in Brighton and the recently opened INK@84 in Highbury:
Indie bookshops turn a new page to fight off threat from Amazon
Spate of openings of ‘destination’ stores as owners offer drinks, performances and crafts to tempt customers away from Amazon
Booktrust announced yesterday that Amazon Kindle will no longer be sponsoring its Best Book Awards, controversially launched last year, when Allan Ahlberg declined to participate, in protest at Amazon’s involvement.
At the same time it announced that there will be no Best Book Award this year – the next one will be in 2016 (by which time an alternative sponsor will have been appointed) and the Award will thenceforth be a biannual event.
ACHUKA rather regrets this development. I was present at last year’s inaugural presentation and Amazon Kindle’s promotional presence was unobtrusive. In fact it was good to see a partnership between new and traditional forms of reading.
— Michael Thorn (@achuka) April 14, 2015
During a round-table discussion Tim said “I do a have a concern that Amazon’s dominance is causing problems. We estimate Kindle has a 95% market share of e-book sales in the UK and this is having a damaging effect… Consider the struggles of Barnes & Noble and the Nook platform, the problems of the established Txtr in Germany, and the decision here of Tesco to pull out of Blinkbox Books.”
Amazon announced KDP Kids yesterday. It’s a new tool designed to help children’s book authors prepare, publish and promote both illustrated and chapter books in Kindle Stores.
Children’s authors can use Amazon’s new Kindle Kids’ Book Creator tool to create illustrated children’s books that take advantage of Kindle features like text pop-ups.
“Authors want to focus on telling great stories and we want to help them do that. No one should have to be a computer programmer to create a beautiful, illustrated Kindle book for kids,” said Russ Grandinetti, Senior Vice President, Kindle. “Kindle Kids’ Book Creator makes it easy. In addition to helping authors craft their books, we’re helping customers find them with things like age and grade range filters.”
Peter Usborne on why a unilateral decision made by his American distributor had him worried for a while…
Ask Randall White, the 72-year-old CEO of the Educational Development Corporation, an Oklahoma-based book distributor, why he decided pull his company’s 2,000 titles – including the acclaimed potty bestiary, “Everyone Poops” – from Amazon.com, and the longtime publishing executive makes reference not to a book but to a movie…
One concerned observer was Peter Usborne, founder and CEO of Usborne Books, the U.K.-based publisher of children’s books, for which EDC has long held U.S. distribution rights (EDC also owns the small California publisher Kane/Miller). “We weren’t involved in the decision,” says Usborne, who continues to do business with Amazon in the UK and elsewhere. “Randall just told me he’d done it. He quite likes a fight, and I think he was looking down the wrong end of a shotgun. It looked pretty grim for awhile, but now it seems he’s the wind in his sails.”
Will Bryan, Nosy Crow’s Head of Apps Development: Engineering and Andrew James, Nosy Crow’s Senior Technical Artist holding their Best Book Award 2014 for “tech stuff’, for their production on Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Farm.
I was delighted to be invited along to yesterday’s presentation of these awards at a hotel venue in central London (see yesterday’s post for a full list of winners and shortlisted titles). It was an impressive ‘bash’ with several hundred school children and students attending and a host of authors and illustrators (not just shortlisted ones) milling around both before and after the formal presentations.
The new awards are jointly organised and sponsored by Booktrust and Amazon Kindle. I trust the lavish conference-style catering yesterday was largely courtesy of Kindle. Other than running their short Kindle ad (the rather good one with children enthusing about reading books on their Kindles) midway through the proceedings, the Kindle connection was not pushed to any great degree.
The Welcome message in front of the ‘Best Books Bash’ programme explained: “We created the Best Book Award because we wanted to change the culture of reading in this country, to place books firmly in the realm of entertainment as well as education, on the same platform as music, films and games.”
“Expert judging panels” selected four titles for each category shortlist and these were then read and voted on by ‘thousands’ of children.
Some of the outcomes were easy to predict. How could Jeff Kinney not have won the popular vote in the 9-11 category, or John Green not come out top in the 12-14 section. But other sections of the awards were more difficult to call. Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre could realistically have hoped for good news when the announcement of the 6-8 section winner was made. The winner, though, was Stephen Pastis, for Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. Pastis is an American cartoonist as well as children’s chapter book creator and so, like Kinney (also American), was unable to accept his award in person. John Green might have been expected to attend but was ‘on holiday’ and it was left to Shannon Cullen, his editor at Puffin, to receive the award on his behalf. In the end, just two of the six category winners graced the stage in person to receive their awards: Lucy Cousins for Peck Peck Peck in the 0-5 category and the two Nosy Crow guys pictured.
Mel Giedroyc did her best to make light of this but it did detract just a bit from an otherwise hugely successful and enjoyable awards presentation, which was ‘live streamed’ out to schools. She was also brave enough to have a little tease about Michael Morpurgo’s trademark ‘pink’ trousers “They’re very gangsta, Michael, those trousers”*, as he left the stage at the end of his opening talk [click link for streaming audio – recommended listen].
*Pleased to discover I managed to capture the ‘very gangsta’ remark 🙂
Danny Van Emden, of West End Lane Books, West Hampstead, said: “We have to pay our taxes so why shouldn’t they? We sometimes get customers browsing, asking for recommendations, and then say they’re going to buy on Amazon instead because it’s cheaper.
“It’s incredibly frustrating. But the longer this kind of thing goes on the more I think customers become fed up of feeding the beast that Amazon represents. We get sentiments of solidarity from our customers now.”
Michael Goodwin, owner of Highgate Bookshop, Highgate High Street, also felt frustrated. “Amazon is undercutting businesses in a dramatic fashion so it’s incredibly unfair that it doesn’t pay the same level of taxes we pay,” he said. “We’re lucky – we have many loyal customers who understand that you can’t have a local bookshop and shop at Amazon. But we still need a level playing field.”
A huge, in-depth analysis (by George Packer) of the Amazon effect on the publishing trade = required reading:
Even well-meaning gatekeepers slow innovation,” Bezos wrote in his 2011 letter to shareholders. “When a platform is self-service, even the improbable ideas can get tried, because there’s no expert gatekeeper ready to say ‘that will never work!’ ” Nevertheless, MacKenzie Bezos published her recent novel, “Traps,” with Knopf.
mazon constitutes a third of one major house’s retail sales on a given week, with the growth chart pointing toward fifty per cent. By contrast, independents represent under ten per cent, and one New York editor said that only a third of the three thousand brick-and-mortar bookstores still in existence would remain financially healthy if publishers didn’t waive certain terms of payment. Jane Friedman, the former Random House and HarperCollins executive, who now runs a digital publisher called Open Road Integrated Media, told me, “If there wasn’t an Amazon today, there probably wouldn’t be a book business.” The senior editor who met Grandinetti said, “They’re our biggest customer, we want them to succeed. As I recover from being punched in the face by Amazon, I also worry: What if they are a bubble? What if the stock market suddenly says, ‘We want a profit’? You don’t want your father who abuses you physically to lose his job.”
Publishers are less like abused minors and more like financially insecure adults who rely on the support of a bullying uncle. Their dependence breeds bad faith. “Privately, we berate Amazon,” the marketing executive said. “Yet we’re always trying to figure out how to work with them.”
Whatever the temporary fluctuations in publishers’ profits, the long-term outlook is discouraging. This is partly because Americans don’t read as many books as they used to—they are too busy doing other things with their devices—but also because of the relentless downward pressure on prices that Amazon enforces. The digital market is awash with millions of barely edited titles, most of it dreck, while readers are being conditioned to think that books are worth as little as a sandwich. “Amazon has successfully fostered the idea that a book is a thing of minimal value,” Johnson said. “It’s a widget.”
Several editors, agents, and authors told me that the money for serious fiction and nonfiction has eroded dramatically in recent years; advances on mid-list titles—books that are expected to sell modestly but whose quality gives them a strong chance of enduring—have declined by a quarter. These are the kinds of book that particularly benefit from the attention of editors and marketers, and that attract gifted people to publishing, despite the pitiful salaries. Without sufficient advances, many writers will not be able to undertake long, difficult, risky projects. Those who do so anyway will have to expend a lot of effort mastering the art of blowing their own horn. “Writing is being outsourced, because the only people who can afford to write books make money elsewhere—academics, rich people, celebrities,” Colin Robinson, a veteran publisher, said. “The real talent, the people who are writers because they happen to be really good at writing—they aren’t going to be able to afford to do it.”
At the time of ACHUKA’s posting these two videos, Amazon’s ‘Prime Air’ video had had 7 million + views on YouTube, Waterstones O.W.L.S. spoof 30,000.


text:
Three months ago, Vogue promised in a “health initiative” to stop using models under the age of 16. But the Fashionista blog just caught the Conde Nast mag using 15-year-old Ondria Hardin in its China issue.We’ve noted before the fashion world’s repeated use of children in sexy situations; the self-imposed promise to only use young adults as models came in response. (For some strange reason, the fashion business gets a free pass from prosecutors when taking sexualized photos of children.)
Hardin, in particular, has been at the centre of the controversy. At age 13, she starred in a sexy Prada campaign, posed in adult clothes.
Hardin’s agency, Ford, insists the model is now 16, but as both Jezebel and Fashionista point out that information doesn’t jive with previous reports that she’s younger than that or that she would have been 15 at the time of the Vogue shoot.
- TOO SEXY, TOO YOUNG: How The Fashion World Flouts Its Own Ban On Underage Models
Business Insider Emails & Alerts
Site highlights each day to your inbox.


text:
Tampa’s Sykes Enterprises is a public company no more.
The customer service and technical support company, whose name is a fixture on the skyline of downtown Tampa, has completed its $2.2 billion all-cash sale to the Sitel Group, a global customer service firm based in Miami.
Officials with both companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Sykes news release called the sale a “highly complementary combination” that would give the companies “a wide breadth and depth of service, strong client relationships and considerable opportunities for employees worldwide.”
Sykes Shareholders approved the merger on Tuesday. On Friday, the company filed paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that would remove it from the Nasdaq market.
The sale price, reached in June, represented a value per share of $54.
The slim window between the shareholders’ vote and closing of the deal is not especially common, said Zac Smith, a senior vice president with financial advisory firm Embark, which specializes in corporate mergers and acquisitions.
“Things can move quickly,” Smith said. “Things typically don’t.”
But Smith called the merger a “no-brainer” given the two companies’ complementary assets and specialties. Sykes’s business is focused on the Americas, while Sitel operates largely in Europe. Sykes has invested and developed in AI technology, which Sitel can use to accelerate and upscale automated customer services.
The sale should also strengthen Sitel’s position from which to make future mergers.
“It’s only going to continue to help them expedite their growth,” he said. “This is going to establish a new platform, a new business model, for them to be able to have additional acquisitions. I don’t think this is the last you’re going to hear from them.”
Founded in North Carolina in 1977, Sykes Enterprises relocated to Tampa in 1993 and became a widely known name in financial and philanthropic circles. The company’s logo adorns the top of Tampa’s Rivergate Tower, colloquially called the “beer can building.” Founder John Sykes is the namesake of the University of Tampa’s business school, to which he and his wife Susan are prominent donors.
CEO and chairperson Chuck Sykes, who succeeded his father in 2004, is an active local business leader who’s played significant roles in enterprises ranging from downtown development to a potential Tampa Bay Rays move to Hillsborough County.
With the sale complete, Chuck Sykes is expected to transition out of his leadership role with the company. No plans have been announced for cuts among the combined company’s 155,000 employees.
Though the deal is now final, Smith said both companies still have lots of work to do.
“They’re going to have to go through and completely look at how they’re going to run this business: Are they going to continue to keep them separate, or are they going to integrate them to become one new business entity?” he said. “They’re just getting started.”


text:
Luxury car sales may scale a record high this year
The segment, which accounts for less than 1% of the broader passenger vehicle market in the country, ended last year with sales of an estimated 37,000-38,000 units. The best year for the segment was in 2018 when sales touched 40,863 units.
Housing sales to continue to grow in 2023: Experts
“Activity in the premium to luxury residential segment in NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru is likely to remain robust in the first two quarters of 2023. The market movement, while being reliant on end users, has also benefited from investors seeking medium to long-term investment opportunities in both under construction and secondary spaces,” said Shveta Jain, Managing Director, Residential Services, Savills India.
BCD Group to build Uber luxury boutique residences in Koramangala
The super luxury residential project in the billionaires lane has a total outlay of Rs 100 crore, covering an area of 1.5 lakh sq ft. The project will boast of 30 premium apartments and residences and will be completed by 2025.
As luxury car owner moves to back seat, so do all the comforts
Manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Audi are regularly enhancing luxury features at the back, a far cry from luxury SUVs whose owners usually prefer the driver's seat.
Auto Expo 2023: Electric vehicles steal the limelight of first day
Electric vehicles hogged the limelight on the first day of India's flagship motor show Auto Expo 2023 with the likes of Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Kia, Tata Motors and MG Motor showcasing their futuristic products, while also committing to invest in sustainable mobility.
Auto Expo 2023: JBM Auto launches electric luxury coach 'Galaxy'Expanding the company's offering in the emerging electric vehicle segment, JBM Auto Vice Chairman Nishant Arya said it will grow "exponentially" over the next few years. "The new range of electric buses will address the growing market requirements, especially the fleet owners, who are looking for sustainable, safe, reliable and profitable solutions," said Arya.
Global car companies upbeat about faster adoption of luxury EVs in IndiaEncouraged by the response to the recent e-luxury car launches - most are pre-sold even before they arrive in India, both BMW and Audi are considering commencing local assembly of some of their EV models. But they will firm up the plans once the volumes reach a particular threshold.
Luxury car sales growth outpaces broader industryAs per industry estimates, about 37,000-38,000 luxury vehicles were sold in India in 2022, an increase of around 50% from the year before but missing the all-time high of around 40,000 units in 2018. Sales in the mainstream segment grew 23% to 3.79 million units last year, with vehicles priced upwards of ₹10 lakh accounting for 41% of the volume.
Mercedes-Benz will launch 10 new vehicles in India in 2023: Santosh IyerThe company is looking at an overall double-digit sales growth this year, and as part of the drive it launched its 'AMG E53 4MATIC+ Cabriolet' model priced at Rs 1.3 crore on Friday. "The biggest growth for us in the last year has come from the TEV (top-end vehicle) segment, where we have grown by 69 per cent," newly appointed Managing Director & CEO of Mercedes-Benz India Santosh Iyer told PTI.
Audi sales jump 27.14 pc to 4,187 units in 2022Audi India's current product line-up includes sedans A4, A6 and A8 L; SUVs, Q3, Q5, Q7 and Q8; sports cars S5 Sportback, RS 5 Sportback and RS Q8, along with electric offerings e-tron 50, e-tron 55, e-tron Sportback 55, e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT.
NRI Investments in real estate and the rising dollarNRIs today are investing in the luxury home segment because it suits their lifestyle, and provides them a safe haven by yielding a higher rate of appreciation and greater life-long rentals. Recent data has shown that over the last two years, the average monthly rentals in the top seven real estate markets in India, along with the prominent luxury micro-markets, have increased by 8-18%.
Demand for high-end and luxury segment likely to remain robust in 2023: Colliers India CEO"Demand for the high-end and luxury segment will remain robust. In 2023, the effective demand and relevant supply will determine how prices move. Developers with a good track record of executing projects will continue to see good traction in the market," said Ramesh Nair, CEO (India) and MD, Market Development, Asia, Colliers.
Buy a used luxury car at half the price: Benefits, watch-outsPre-owned luxury vehicles often see a sharp decline in prices within a year of sale, and can be available at almost a 50% discount after five years.
Elan to invest Rs 4,000 crore in developing luxury residential project in GurgaonIt is a fully licensed 40 acre land, out of that 30 acre are meant for residential development and 10 acre for commercial spaces. Global alternative investment Firm PAG has recently invested about $50 million (Rs 425 crore) in the group and the builder will use the proceedings to fund the construction. PAG is one of the largest Asia-focused investment funds, dealing in segments including private equity, private debt, real estate and hedge funds.
Liquor sales bubble over to 15% as demand increases for key segments"Based on the last ten calendar months, the industry is expected to grow in double digits, largely driven by a secular trend in premiumisation across categories. We also see a full recovery in out-of-home consumption while off-trade continue its growth momentum since several quarters now," said Bikram Basu, VP, strategy and marketing at Allied Blenders and Distillers (ABD), the largest Indian spirits firm.
Satya Nadella on the future of work; 90% of India Inc is back in the officeThe quality of the entrepreneurs and companies across India, and the innovation they’re producing is world class, said Nadella, noting that India is realising its own potential by investing in skilling and infrastructure with programmes such as Digital India.
Indian buyers bought four luxury vehicles every hour in first nine months of 2022Senior industry execs ET spoke to said pent-up demand as well as growing disposable incomes have been spurring purchases, especially among start-up owners and young professionals. Industry estimates as many as 25,000 luxury vehicles were sold in the segment in the first nine months of the year - an increase of 32% compared to the same period last year.
DLF sells all 292 luxury homes in new project at Gurugram for over Rs 1,800 croreOhri had noted that properties in DLF phase-5 have shown excellent appreciation in value as well as rentals. More than 50,000 residents already live in DLF5, which features 16 acclaimed premium, luxury and super-luxury residential communities. On the overall sales bookings of DLF Ltd for 2022-23 fiscal year, he had said that the company has already given guidance of Rs 8,000 crore, and "we will stick to that".
Watch seller Ethos believes the time has come to expand"We will be in Indore, Raipur, Surat and possibly even Dehradun in the next six months," said Yashovardhan Saboo, chairman & MD, Ethos. "In the last two years, the internet has given us a rich stream of data that offers us leads on places with a high interest in luxury watches. Based on that data, we will be entering new cities."
Demand for luxury products exposes widening inequality in IndiaConsumer-goods makers are reporting robust demand for items priced nearly $2,000 in a nation where per-capita income is just a tad above that level, while industry data on sales of budget phones priced below $100 and motorcycles, an indicator of rural demand, are showing a weaker trend.
DLF to develop luxury independent floors in Gurgaon, targets Rs 1700 crore saleThe Grove is a low-rise luxury development , offering 292 residences, with 4 BHK, 4 BHK + entertainment lounge along with a staff room and store in the basement, on plot sizes ranging from 225 – 539 square meters (269 to 650 square yards).
Demand for luxury homes on rent zooms as overseas executives returnDemand for luxury homes, whether penthouses or farmhouses, fell during the pandemic as families of MNC executives and embassy personnel flew back home. Now that most have returned, there has been an increase in luxury property rentals of as much as 60% in some areas.
Demand for luxury homes surges post Covid: Here's what data from Anarock saysData suggest that of the 1.84 lakh units sold in too seven cities in H1 2022, about 14% (approximately 25,700 units) were in luxury homes. Of 2.61 lakh units sold in the whole of 2019, just 7% (approximately 17,740 units) were in the luxury category.
BMW sees robust demand for luxury vehicles in India. Here's whyBMW India reported record sales of 5,570 cars (including 379 units of MINI) in the country in the first half of the year. The company has planned launching a total of 19 models in the four-wheeler segment this year to sustain the momentum going ahead.
Luxury housing supply share in total housing rise to 12% : ReportThe share of luxury segment in supply pan India was 8% in Q2 2021. Mumbai is ranked number one in terms of luxury sales and supply in the second quarter of 2022 followed by Hyderabad.
Hyundai Tucson merges luxury & technology to redefine mobility: 29 first and best-in-segment featuresThe Hyundai Tucson will redefine benchmarks elevating the customer’s driving experience.
Lamborghini expects super luxury car segment in India to reach peak levels of 2018-19"If you look at the super luxury segment in India, it does not fully reflect the potential in the market. The segment has not yet reached its peak of what it was in 2018-19," Lamborghini India Head Sharad Agarwal said here in an interaction.Load More
BACK TO TOP


text:
Strong results across a range of business units helped US
agribusiness Cargill post a stable set of figures for the
fourth-quarter of 2003. Food ingredients operations in Europe,
Latin America and North America claim a particularly...
Netherlands-based self-styled wellness food producer Koninklijke
Wessanen has announced that its subsidiary Tree of Life North
America is to axe 6 per cent of the workforce as part of an intense
Functional soft drinks are no longer confined to obscure avenues of
soft drinks consumption and are steadily edging towards the
mainstream, according to a new report from drinks consultancy
Ireland's Glanbia and Uruguay's Conaprole have joined forces to
help develop the market for dairy ingredients in Latin America. A
new joint venture company, Conabia, based in Mexico, will develop
sales throughout Central...
Dutch speciality foods group Wessanen said this week that 2002
earnings will be lower than previously announced, following poor
fourth quarter results at its Tree of Life North America division.
The CEO and CFO of the division are...
Dutch food retail group Ahold today announced it is to sell its
Netherlands-based health store chain De Tuinen to Holland &
Barrett Europe for €16.5 million. The company said the divestment
was part of its move to focus on core...
Speciality chemicals group Cognis reported sales for the first nine
months of the year on a level with last year's figure, rising by a
mere 1 per cent to €2,408 million. A better-than-average
performance came from the nutrition...
Dutch natural foods group Wessanen reported a strong performance at
its Tree of Life Europe unit, with sales up 22 per cent in the
third quarter. Economic conditions are still affecting US sales,
however, although the company says...
Canada's Federal Court last week fined four leading vitamin
companies C$3.875 million (€2.5m) for their role in a price-fixing
conspiracy. Degussa, Lonza and Nepera and Reilly Industries of the
United States were all charged...
Maker of nutritional and weight management products Usana Health
Sciences said it achieved record sales of $34.8 million (€35.5m)
for the third quarter ended 28 September 2002 , an increase of 18.6
per cent on the same period in 2001.


text:
Busy Christmas Tree sales expected the week following Black Friday
Sales of Christmas Trees are expected to be strong this week at one local tree lot.
The manager of the Boy Scouts Christmas Tree Sales in Vestavia Hills told WVTM13 News they are ready for crowds.
"We're expecting some heavier sales during the week to avoid the crowds. But we're equipped to handle anything we get.", said Patrick Vacarella.
Christmas Tree sales are a little different this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But that hasn't stopped shoppers from celebrating the holidays.
"I think shifting our focus to the Holidays and normalcy even with the mask just feels even better this year to celebrate and be thankful for all the blessings in our lives.", said shopper Heather Neighbors.
Mr. Vacarella said they had three truckloads of trees delivered today, and started the Black Friday weekend off to a strong start.


text:
By Josh Dolmage
“We are hoping students will think a few days ahead, rather than a few minutes ahead,” said Dick Merriman, president. This is one of many reasons why the Book Cave will be closing today.
“The Book Cave is being vacated right now and a college store will take its place. The new store will sell dorm foods, such as microwaveable meals. It will also have some Southwestern clothing,” said Merriman. “This will be more efficient and students can use their meal credits there still, just as in the Java Jinx.”
After the Book Cave has vacated the area, the Java Jinx will move downstairs. The new college store will have tables like the Java Jinx does now. Wraps, hot dogs and some grilled food will be available. A wider range of services will be provided. Students can study or just relax. They will also be able get something to eat at times besides the usual cafeteria hours. The new clothing line will have more selections and variety. This includes having different brands to choose from.
Jason VenJohn will be in charge of keeping the new store stocked. VenJohn said the store will officially open January 1. However, he will sell merchandise during homecoming week and is hoping to have a link on the school website by February so that people can purchase merchandise online. When asked if he thinks this transition will be a success, VenJohn said, “Yes. I have more say of what brands will be sold and what merchandise. We’ve been selling a couple of t-shirts already and are hoping to sell Dry Fit shirts, sweatshirts, and more t-shirts. By January we are hoping to have more memorabilia, sweats, pins and polos. Students can request merchandise and so far we’ve had a really good response to that.” Anyone who has requests on new merchandise can e-mail VenJohn at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Another major change will be the fact that students will no longer be able to purchase their books in the new store. Students can buy their books from MBS Direct starting next semester. It will work like this: go online, type in your classes for the next semester, and MBS Direct will automatically fill up a “shopping cart” with books the student’s need for those classes. The student will then have a chance to purchase those books online through the company. Merriman said that those books will be cheaper. “I noticed that many of the upperclassman would go into the Book Cave and write down the books that they need and then go online and purchase the books. Since we loan every student a laptop, we think that this will be more efficient.”
With purchasing online, students can sell books back through MBS Direct. Students will e-mail MBS Direct a list of books they want to sell back. MBS Direct will send an e-mail reply with the amount that they are willing to pay for the books.
However, it gets even easier than that. “For those students that would prefer to sell them in person and get cash back, we will have someone come in at the end of the semester and buy the books,” said Merriman. “The whole purpose of the change is to benefit the students.”
Travis Thurau, business administration junior, thinks that ordering books online is the smart choice. “I always order my books online because it is cheaper. Not being able to buy books in the book store doesn’t really affect me. I’m more excited for the new clothing. It sounds cool and I will probably be in the new store more than the old one. As for the food, I don’t care what they do because I don’t eat at the Java Jinx. I think the cafeteria food is way better,” said Thurau. “I think that this will help make our lives easier.”
Josh Dolmage is a junior majoring in communication. You may e-mail him at email@example.com.


text:
Jim Lentz, president and chief executive of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, expects strong November sales in the United States as consumers race to acquire new vehicles to replace those damaged and lost during the Hurricane Sandy. Lentz said that on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, the carmaker’s sales in November will be around 14.8 million and 15.2 million new vehicles.
Speaking on the sidelines of a J.D. Power and Associates and National Automobile Dealers Association conference, Lentz said Toyota believes that around 400,000 cars and trucks were lost due to the super-storm, 100,000 of which were new vehicles. Lentz predicted that vehicle sales will be strong in November throughout the US, particularly in the New York area that received the brunt of Sandy.
Meanwhile, John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co, disclosed during the conference that he expects November sales at an annualized pace of around 15 million. According to TrueCar.com, the seasonally adjusted annualized sales rate in November 2011 was 13.5 million new vehicles, and in October 2012 was 14.3 million.
TrueCar is expecting the US vehicle sales for November to grow 13-percent year-on-year, with a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 15.2 million new vehicles. TrueCar expects Toyota to post a 17-percent year-on-year increase in US sales for November 2012. However, according to TrueCar, it would be Honda that will log the highest increase in November US sales among major automakers at 32 percent.


text:
By Nigel Cork
MultiModal 2016 at the NEC, Birmingham ran from 10-12th May. DPI Europe were exhibiting as part of the Logistics Leaders network, an organisation for logistics and supply chain professionals.
Logistics Leaders was founded in 2010 to help emerging leaders understand the strategic supply chain issues impacting on business performance. DPI Managing Partner, John Acton, with 15 years’ experience at board level in the logistics industry has been an enthusiastic supporter.
John and I had a successful and enjoyable few days manning the stand where we had the opportunity to meet and interact with a variety of industry professionals.
©Nigel Cork, DPI Europe, 2016


text:
The German tuning company called Posaidon has recently created an upgrade package aimed towards the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG facelift, which is adding some interesting items to the model.
The facelifted version of the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG has received a new upgrade package, which has been signed by the guys from Posaidon. According to the tuning company, the model in question has received a revised rear axle and gearbox, a custom exhaust system, two larger turbochargers and several electronic tweaks, which are allowing a significant power increase that should make every owner of such a model want an upgrade like this.
Thanks to the changes detailed above, the facelifted variant of the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, powered by the 5.5 liter twin turbo V8 engine, is now capable of producing no less than 853 HP (627 kW) and a whopping 1,300 Nm (959 lb-ft) of torque. This is significantly more than what the standard model has to offer, 585 HP (430 kW) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque. The electronically limited top speed has been raised from 250 km/h (155 mph) to 345 km/h (214 mph). Various outputs for the performance package are also offered, ranging between 630 HP (463 kW) and 749 HP (551 kW). No pricing details have been released.


text:
As the New Year continues into February with uncertainty hovering over the CRE market, we can gain some encouragement from a historical perspective as well as by parsing general and small balance commercial real estate trends.
Real Capital Analytics reported that investment sales of properties greater than $2.5 million in value declined last year by 7% to $463.9 billion as near-peak conditions caused buyers to become more discriminating about sectors, markets and financing conditions. RCA further indicated that portfolio sales plummeted by 34% YOY while single-asset transactions decreased by only 5%.
The very modest contraction in single-asset sales hints at the bifurcation in trends we see between the large and small-cap CRE sales market. While RCA reported that sales in the greater investment market contracted for two years in a row, we show an opposing trend in the small-cap arena. As shown in the nearby graph, sales volume for transactions under $5 million rose to $101.5 billion in 2016 – the highest level in the post-crisis era at that time – but this year has already surpassed that record with $106.3 billion booked through November according to our proprietary research.
Effervescent small-cap space market fundamentals, relatively modest gains in sales prices (at 4.7% YOY) and aggressive financing for SBL credits among other factors have supported the elevation in asset sales.
In fact, you can see in the nearby graph how transaction sales and SBL originations have increased in lockstep over time. SBL volume hit a post-crisis high at $240.2 billion during 2016 as purchase loans contributed nearly 42% of total volume, representing the highest percentage in at least eight years. SBL volume for 2017 will surpass $200 billion for the fifth consecutive year but will likely fall short of the previous record based on totals through the first three quarters.
Even with the possibility of some deceleration in the small-cap CRE market’s velocity, the magnitude of sales and originations activity will remain high by historical norms even though Olympic-sized records may not be shattered again this year.


text:
In recent years, flying has become more expensive, but this may soon change. New airlines vying for customers and innovative aircraft designs could start a price war that would make flying cheaper than ever.
The current state of airfare
On average, a domestic round-trip flight costs $330, while an international round-trip ticket is about $810. The priciest element of flying is often the base fare, which pays for the use of the plane and its crew.
Other incidentals, such as baggage or itinerary changes, can tack on high complementary costs to your already expensive flights. In addition, ancillary fees have been rising as airlines look to make up for lost profits.
The price of flying has risen even faster than the inflation rate, making it increasingly difficult for people to afford to travel by air. However, there are signs that this trend may soon reverse. With new airlines and innovative aircraft designs, the industry is in a position for a price war that could make flying cheaper than ever.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Why have flights gotten more expensive?
Various reasons have caused the cost of air travel to go up in recent years, with one explanation being fuel prices. Since 2000, jet fuel has more than doubled in price and now makes a big dent in an airline's operating expenses. As a result, airlines charge higher fares and fees for things like checked bags and snack boxes to make up for this increase.
Another reason flying has become more expensive is the implementation of new security measures in the wake of 9/11. These measures, while necessary, add to the cost of operating an airline. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security now imposes a $5.60 passenger security fee on every flight segment, which further increases the cost of flying.
The third reason that flying has gotten more expensive is simply due to the rising cost of doing business. Airports are charging higher landing fees and rentals, and aircraft manufacturers are charging more for new planes. All these factors contribute to the higher cost of flying.
The future of air travel
The future of air travel is uncertain. Airlines are struggling to stay afloat, and the industry is changing rapidly. Flights could become cheaper in the future, but it is hard to say for sure.
Airlines have been hit hard by the pandemic. Passenger numbers are down, and many airlines are struggling to survive.
The industry is changing rapidly, and the future is uncertain.
Flights could become cheaper as airlines try to attract passengers back. However, the pandemic has upended the airline industry, and it is hard to predict what will happen next. Only time will tell.
How to find cheap flights
The cost of airfare is constantly fluctuating, making it difficult to predict whether or not prices will drop in the future. However, you can do a few things to increase your chances of finding the cheapest flights.
First, be flexible with your travel dates. If you can be flexible when you travel, you will have a better chance of finding cheaper flights. Secondly, sign up for fare alerts with your favorite airlines and travel websites to be notified as soon as prices drop for your desired route.
Finally, book your flights in advance. Airlines typically release their cheapest seats about three months before departure, so you are more likely to find a good deal if you can plan.
The airfare cost constantly fluctuates, so it is essential to be patient and wait for the right opportunity to book your tickets. However, cheap flights are out there if you know where to look.
Tips for flying on a budget
- Look for flights during off-peak hours and days. You can often find cheaper flights by flying midweek or overnight.
- Consider flying into smaller airports. They typically have fewer flight options, but the competition among airlines can keep prices lower.
- Keep an eye on airfare sales and special promotions. Airlines will sometimes offer discounted rates for limited periods.
- Join an airline loyalty program to help rack up points or miles you can redeem for free or discounted travel.
- Use a credit card that offers rewards for travel purchases. This can help you earn points or miles that you can use to offset the cost of your flight.
Will flights get cheaper? This is a tricky question to answer definitively; however, based on the current state of the economy and airline industry, it is probably safe to say that flights will become more affordable momentarily. So if you are holding off on booking a trip because you think it will be too expensive, now might be a good time to start looking for deals.
How to Use Google Flights to Save Money on Airfare
Google Flights is an incredibly handy online tool for finding the best and cheapest flights for your next trip.


text:
UK banks to ditch clients across Europe
September 21, 2020 (Investorideas.com Newswire) UK banks are "outrageously failing" many tens of thousands of clients across Europe as they plot to shut their accounts and cancel credit cards within weeks due to post-Brexit rules.
This is the damning assessment of Nigel Green, the CEO and founder of deVere Group, one of the world's largest financial advisory and fintech organizations, as most of Britain's biggest banks send letters to customers in the EU warning them that all services are to be scrapped unless they have a UK address.
Mr Green says: "Most of the UK's main street banks are plotting to unceremoniously abandon their customers across Europe within weeks.
"Accounts will be shut and debit and credit cards voided – regardless of how much or how little you have in those accounts or how long you have been a client - as it becomes illegal for UK banks to service British customers living in the EU without applying for new banking licences."
He continues: "Once again, traditional banks are outrageously failing their clients who now need to take urgent steps to continue to be able to access, use, and manage their money.
"The move by these banks will be a major inconvenience to many tens of thousands of Brits living in the EU."
Before post-Brexit rules come into effect, those affected are being urged to find alternatives to avoid potentially serious financial disruption.
"I would urge expats to now seek a financial services provider that already operates under pan-European rules," says the deVere Group CEO.
In 2017 the firm launched deVere Vault. deVere Vault provides borderless global services with a ground-breaking e-money app and a single card, multi currency service designed with those with an international lifestyle in mind.
"You're able to open a deVere Vault account in around five minutes, withdraw money from any cash machine worldwide, get real-time notifications with all your transactions, spend money on the card wherever Mastercard is accepted, and send and receive money in most major currencies," notes Mr Green.
He concludes: "deVere Vault meets a growing need in an increasingly globalised world for our clients to have borderless access to and use of their money.
"Agile, tech-driven challenger banks and fintech firms are ready to fill the void left by traditional banks who are now having to routinely ditch their customers."This is the damning assessment of Nigel Green, the CEO and founder of deVere Group, one of the world's largest financial advisory and fintech organizations, as most of Britain's biggest banks send letters to customers in the EU warning them that all services are to be scrapped unless they have a UK address.
t: +44 207 1220 925
deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients. It has a network of more than 70 offices across the world, over 80,000 clients and $12bn under advisement.
This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders
Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.
More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com


text:
MILAN – Nice Italian knitwear packed in bins addressed to retailers in Moscow, St Petersburg and Kursk are piled up in a warehouse in Lombardy awaiting cargo. Though not topic to sanctions to punish Russia for this invasion of Ukrainethe clothes will not be more likely to be shipped any time quickly.
Non-payments from Russian retailers who ordered the garments are piling up resulting from banking sector restrictions, placing strain on small style makers like D. Exterior, a high-end knitwear firm with 50 staff within the northern metropolis of Brescia.
“It’s very painful. I’ve 2 million euros price of products in inventory and if they will’t pay for it I’ll be on my knees,” stated Nadia Zanola, proprietor of D. Exterior, surveying the warehouse for the model she launched in 1997 Knitwear firm based out in 1952 by her mother and father.
Italy is the world’s largest producer of world luxurious items, producing 40% of high-end attire, footwear and equipment. Whereas Russia generates solely about 3% of Italian luxurious’s €97 billion ($101 billion) annual gross sales, trade officers say it’s a big a part of the enterprise for a few of the 80,000 small- and medium-sized corporations that kind the spine of Italian style.
“We’re speaking about chopping 80% to 100% of the income from these corporations,” stated Fabio Pietrella, president of the style artisan affiliation Confartigianato.
Districts producing footwear within the Marche and Veneto areas and knitwear producers in Umbria and Emilia-Romagna have develop into notably depending on Russia.
“These are districts that join the availability chain, and when it’s damaged, it’s not simply harming the corporate that’s closing, however a complete system that’s serving to make this nation an financial powerhouse,” Pietrella stated.
The Italian style world is finest recognized for luxurious homes equivalent to Gucci, Versace and Armani, who’re presenting their males’s collections in Milan this week. And a few of the largest names seem on an inventory compiled by Yale College professor Jeffrey Sonnenberg massive corporations doing enterprise in Russia for the reason that starting of the warfare in Ukraine.
“There are corporations that continued to promote to Nazi Germany after the outbreak of World Struggle II – we don’t rejoice them for that,” stated Sonnenberg, calling any firm nonetheless doing enterprise in Russia in the present day “grasping”.
He additionally harassed that style corporations haven’t any motive to make humanitarian appeals to bypass sanctions, voluntary or in any other case, as has been the case with agribusinesses and pharmaceutical corporations.
Amongst these receiving an unsatisfactory mark from Sonnenberg is Italian firm Benetton, which issued an announcement condemning the warfare however stated it will proceed industrial actions in Russia, together with long-standing industrial and logistical partnerships and a community of shops, who feed 600 households.
French conglomerate LVMH, in the meantime, has briefly closed 124 shops in Russia however is continuous to pay its 3,500 staff in Russia. Spanish group Inditex, which owns quick style chain Zara, additionally briefly closed 502 shops in Russia in addition to its on-line gross sales, accounting for 8.5% of the group’s pre-tax revenue.
Pietrella fears a type of Russia phobia is spreading, demonizing enterprise house owners for making an attempt to keep up ties with a longer-term imaginative and prescient.
He described the criticism of round 40 shoe producers from the Marche area on the Italian Adriatic coast as a “witch hunt” as a result of that they had traveled to a commerce honest in Russia in the course of the warfare.
European Union sanctions towards Russia have been tightened after the invasion of Ukraine, imposing a wholesale restrict of 300 euros on every merchandise shipped, phasing out super-luxury objects however nonetheless concentrating on upper-middle class or rich Russians.
“Unquestionably, as a style affiliation, we’ve expressed our excessive concern in regards to the aggression in Ukraine,” Pietrella stated. “From an moral perspective, it’s out of the query. However we’ve to consider our corporations. Ethics is one factor. The market is completely different. Staff in an organization are paid by the market, not by ethics.”
He stated the €300 gross sales restrict was a transfer by European politicians that on paper would permit commerce with Russia regardless of the bureaucratic and monetary hurdles concerned, whereas defending governments from having to bail out the trade. He additionally dismissed authorities proposals to search out various markets to Russia as overly frivolous.
“If there have been one other market, we’d be there already,” stated Pietrella.
At D. Exterior, publicity to Russia regularly grew over time and now accounts for 35% to 40% of gross sales, which reached €22 million earlier than the pandemic, a stream that can be underneath renewed strain increased vitality and uncooked materials prices.
The corporate was already transport its summer time assortment and taking orders for the winter when Russia invaded on February 24. In March, Russian retailers struggled to make funds.
Not solely is Zanola caught with about 4,000 spring and summer time clothes that she has little hope of transport to Russian clients, she stated she is contractually certain to proceed producing the winter orders and risking €100,000 in labor and materials prices , if these cannot be despatched .
Over time, their Russian clients have confirmed to be excellent clients, Zanola stated. Not solely do you pay on time, you additionally admire the workmanship of D. Exterior knitwear.
After working so arduous to construct her Russian shopper base, she is reluctant to provide them up and doesn’t see a fast long-term substitute.
“If Russia have been Putin, I wouldn’t go there. However since Russia is not only Putin, one hopes that poor Russians will handle to select themselves up,” she stated.
AP reporter Ciaran Giles contributed from Madrid.
Copyright 2022 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials is probably not revealed, broadcast, transcribed or redistributed with out permission.
https://www.local10.com/enterprise/2022/06/16/russian-sanctions-hurting-small-italian-fashion-producers/ Russian sanctions hit small Italian style producers


text:
Five British electronic labels hit by the recent shuttering of Amato Distribution have come up with a practical business solution.
The labels — Freerange, Urbantorque, secretsundaze, Rekids and 2020Vision — have formed a collective to represents its members and respective artists. And PIAS U.K. (formerly Vital Distribution) has come on board as distributor for the collective.
Ralph Lawson, owner of Leeds-based 2020Vision, says the collective proves that strength lies in numbers. “The Amato disaster hit independent electronic labels particularly hard, but it takes crisis situations to act as catalysts for change,” he comments in a statement.
“Independent companies have always lead the way when it comes to innovation,” he adds, “and we have now gathered the very best independent labels from the world of electronic music at [PIAS] U.K. to further push the boundaries.”
CD-centric Amato — which distributed such hot labels as Kompakt, Crosstown Rebels, Anjunabeats, Buzzin’ Fly and Poker Flat — was acquired by vinyl-focused Unique Distribution in late 2006, and reportedly took on a good deal of its debt, contributing to its shuttering in late 2007. Buzzin’ Fly and a handful of other labels have already made the switch to PIAS U.K.


text:
November 30, 2006 Posted by Chris Tingom Filed under Uncategorized
In September I posted a post about The Coffee Lifeline Project, well, a Tucson auto dealership is now offering a free bag of Rwandan coffee with every test drive to help the effort.
From The Arizona Daily Star article today:
Hoping to promote economic development in the war-ravaged African nation he recently visited, Click has teamed with others to offer a sample of Rwandan coffee and a calendar focusing on the natural beauty of the country and its silverback gorillas.
Coffee is an economic backbone for the central African nation, where up to 40 percent of the population is dependent on the growing and sale of the beans, Click said.


text:
British Columbia Will Begin Applying PST to Netflix Streaming and on Other Platforms
Cord cutters and those who consume content through streaming in British Columbia will be charged a bit extra later this year as the provincial government has now required Netflix and other streaming services to add PST to its subscription charges.
This news comes through by way of Global News who reported that Netflix users could be charged an additional $8.39/year in taxes, depending on the tier of their subscription. According to Global, the decision to include PST on Netflix subscription was made to even the playing field as other streaming services are already charging PST to customers in some capacity.
CraveTV, Apple, and Amazon Prime currently have a retail presence in Canada, charging customers PST in many cases. Netflix was the outlier. Moving forward, Netflix, alongside any streaming service receiving $10,000 in annual revenue will now charge seven percent PST for its services.
When speaking to the Ministry of Finance, they responded to Global by saying: “B.C. has had a sales tax in place since 1948 — that has not changed. However, as people have shifted to buying more and more goods and services online, legislation in many jurisdictions hasn’t kept pace. Clarifying registration requirements will future-proof our tax system as the shift to digital purchasing continues.”
It’s worth noting that as of 2018, Quebec began applying PST to Netflix and other streaming service subscriptions.
The additional PST charge will be in effect as of July 1st, 2020.


text:
Samsung is expected to officially announce its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy SIII in a few days during the IFA consumer electronics show, however we’ve already seen three firmware leaks for the international version but here comes the firmware for T-Mobile variant using the Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset.
Folks at XDA Forums have already got their hands on this build JRO03L and any issues along with possible workarounds will be listed there. The installation is simple but requires the stock build T999UVALH2, just reboot in recovery mode and apply the update and you’ll be running a fully fledged Android 4.1 build. It should be noted that the leaked experimental firmware is reported to have few bugs especially the incapacity to use WiFi-calling.
This leak further suggests that the build is near completion and might be released sooner that expected. Stay tuned for future updates.


text:
- Foxconn involved in several lawsuits against employees
- Intel next-generation top-end CPU platforms ready for 3Q17
- Prices of 12-inch blank wafers to rise 10-20% in 1Q17
- PTI revenues hit record for 4th straight month
- MediaTek November revenues hit 7-month low
- Chip orders for entry-level smartphones going down
- AUO November revenues up on year
- Taiwan market: Oppo launches R9s
- TPK Holding sees decreased November revenues
- Russia market: Xiaomi smartphones getting popular
- Qualcomm begins commercial sampling of 10nm server chips
- ASE IC ATM revenues rise in November
- BMC chip vendor Aspeed November revenues hit record high
- China, Taiwan PERC P-type solar cell makers consider adoption of N-type IBC, HJT technologies
- Local governments in China suspend PV installation applications
- China LED material, chip makers hike prices
- CPT November shipments drop, but revenues increase
- Digitimes Research: Taiwan ODM smartphone shipments to decline in 4Q16
- Digitimes Research: Global digital gaming market to reach US$99.6 billion in 2016
- Chicony Electronics reports revenues for November
- HannStar Display ships nearly 31 million small- to mid-size panels in November
- Analog, LCD driver IC firms seeing orders slow down
- Imec demos vertically stacked GAA silicon nanowire CMOS transistors
- Taiwan November export value down on month, up on year, says MOF
- Parade reports increased revenues for November
Taiwan-based crystalline silicon solar cell makers have been impacted by the US imposing an average...
Digitimes recently interviewed Bert Gyselinckx, general manager of the Holst Centre in Eindhoven, to...
Digitimes recently spoke with Karen Lightman, the executive director of MEMS Industry Group (MIG),...
GaAs solar material maker Alta Devices boasts solar cells with an efficiency of 28.8%, but perhaps...


text:
SYDNEY (AP) — Australians will find fewer plastics on the shelves at Woolworths and Coles stores.
The supermarket giants on Monday announced new goals to reduce plastic products and packaging in response to customers wanting a greener shopping experience.
Woolworths says all its stores in Australia and New Zealand will no longer sell plastic straws by the end of this year. It also will offer reusable shopping bags when it phases out plastic shopping bags on June 20, and will expand its program to remove plastic wrap from fruit and vegetable for another 80 products.
Coles has set a 2020 deadline to make its packaging recyclable and cut food waste by half.
The European Union has proposed banning plastic products, like straws, to reduce litter spoiling beaches and ocean beds.


text:
Samsung Galaxy S5 Launches In UAE April 11
April 4, 2014
Whether it’s Real Madrid vs Barcelona; Coke vs Pepsi or McLaren vs Ferrari – history has shown us that when heated rivals continue to clash, the overall winner is usually the customer. In the war for smartphone dominance the Apple vs Samsung tussle is the main event prizefight.
Step forward the Galaxy S5 – Samsung’s newest title contender that looks all set to step into the unrelenting smartphone arena. Arguably the biggest phone launch of the year the Galaxy S5 builds on its widely successful predecessor, the S4, which is a pretty good starting point.
The new phone has a global and regional release date of April 11 and will be priced in the UAE at AED 2,699 for the 4G LTE model and AED 2,599 for the 3G model.
Never afraid to arm its top-range phones with headline-grabbing specs, the new Samsung weighs in with an impressive quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, which runs at a blistering 2.5GHz – or in layman’s terms: it’s so quick and powerful that it will go like Gareth Bale regardless of how many apps you have running.
The phone comes with a fingerprint scanner, which can be used to unlock your screen; protect your private data and integrate itself with online payment methods such as PayPal. On the back, there’s a heartrate sensor – the first ever on a smartphone – which is designed to play nice with Samsung’s revised S Health app.
Of all of its new features, perhaps the most impressive is the S5’s 16MP camera with an autofocus so super-fast (0.3 seconds) Samsung claims it to be the fastest on any smartphone. Over to you, Apple.
Details: visit samsung.com


text:
AMD launched its brand spanking new Ryzen 2000 Series processors yesterday but one was conspicuous by its absence. When the first-gen Ryzen arrived last year, the top-end model was the AMD Ryzen 1800X. This year, there’s no AMD Ryzen 2800X in sight.
That may not be the case forever though, with AMD senior vice president Jim Anderson hinting there may be a Ryzen 7 2800X someday. As for why it isn’t launching now, the answer’s as simple as you’d expect.
“We felt like, with the 2700X and 2700 at the performance and price points, we had that space covered,” said Anderson. “We just felt that with those two SKUs we had it sufficiently covered where we wanted to position the product.”
In essence, AMD’s got Intel matched in terms of the 2700X versus the Intel Core i7-8700K, and right now there isn’t any reason to release an enthusiast-tier CPU that may not offer the same value for money. Instead, AMD’s likely got its Ryzen 7 2800X waiting in the wings, ready to fire it to market once Intel puts a new, faster processor.
“That doesn’t preclude a 2800X someday, right, maybe. But for now we believe those two SKUs cover the space well,” concludes Anderson.
For now, rest assured that, from the first wave of reviews at least, the Ryzen 7 2700X is an extremely capable CPU that’s got the Intel 8700K beaten on both single-core and multi-core performance. However, Intel’s still holding the slightest of leads in terms of gaming performance.


text:
Daimler Says Nevada License To Help Self-Drive Trucks Gain Traction
Auto-Maker Daimler introduced an autonomous truck on Tuesday night - the company says a driver must be present, but that driver has the option to relinquishing control to the vehicle.
Human-Centered Supply Chain - Delivered by DHL
This study identifies major challenges that fashion industry supply chains will face in the future as well as areas where action must be taken, and it also proposes various solutions.
- The Human-Centered Supply Chain Playbook
- Augmented Reality in Logistics
- The Supply Chain Talent Shortage: From Gap to Crisis
- Sharing Economy Logistics
- All Resources
Daimler Trucks North America LLC, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America. Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets commercial vehicles under the Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses nameplates. Daimler Trucks North America…
DHL is present in over 220 countries and territories across the globe, making it the most international company in the world. With a workforce exceeding 285,000 employees, we provide solutions for an almost infinite number of logistics needs. DHL is part of the world’s leading postal and logistics…
- Company Quicklook
Daimler Trucks North America News
- Walmart, J.B. Hunt, Loblaws, Meijer, Onboard with Preorders for…
- Mercedes-Benz Vision Van Looks At the Future of Logistics and…
- Daimler’s Self-Driving Truck Tested on Real Roads
- Daimler Says Nevada License To Help Self-Drive Trucks Gain Traction
- All Daimler Trucks North America News
Daimler has been granted a license by the U.S. state of Nevada to test self-driving trucks on public roads, as the United States and Europe race to establish a regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles.
While companies such as Google have dominated the headlines with advances in driverless cars, Daimler board member Wolfgang Bernhard told reporters autonomous trucks were likely to hit the roads first.
That is partly because more trucks operate “in a less complicated traffic environment” out on the open road, while passenger cars spend more time in urban areas, he said.
Truck operators also have a big financial incentive to adopt the technology, as it would bring savings in wages and fuel.
“It makes the most sense to them,” Bernard said in Las Vegas on Tuesday. “These guys have to make money.”
Despite making significant progress with the technology, automakers face a battle to bring their advance prototype vehicles to market in Europe and the United States due to regulatory hurdles and questions about product liability.
The “tipping point” to commercial viability of autonomous trucks will be reached when enough U.S. States allow them on their roads to make inter-state commerce viable, Bernhard said.
“We need more than (a few states) and it will take some time,” he said.
The Freightliner Inspiration Truck
Brian Sandoval, Governor of Nevada, and Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the Daimler AG board responsible for Trucks and Buses, take first autonomous drive on a U.S. highway near Las Vegas.
Bernhard said no customers had yet made a commitment to buying Daimler’s self-driving trucks.
“We think once the legislation is there and once the regulatory environment is there, we’ll be approached by customers,” he said. “We’re not at that point yet.”
Europe too is working on establishing test routes for autonomous trucks, although it will take time before freight companies can cross the continent with such vehicles.
“I think ... the regulatory environment can be done in the next five years,” in Europe, Bernhard said.
One of the challenges for autonomous driving proponents is meeting safety concerns while persuading lawmakers that accident liability can still be established. Questions over who is in charge of a vehicle require trucks to have a driver present, even while it operates in self-driving mode.
Bernhard said other U.S. states - California, Arizona, Michigan - had shown an interest in self-driving trucks, but more states would need to get on board before the federal government took up the issue.
Separately, Bernhard declined to comment on reports that Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz is preparing a bid for Nokia’s Here mapping unit in a consortium with BMW AG, Audi AG and Baidu Inc.


text:
Weitere Kapitel dieses Buchs durch Wischen aufrufen
The Internet plays an important role in our daily life. Today, everyone is “connected” to everyone else almost at any given instant as we are connected to the Internet most of the time and interacting with others through e-mails or instant messengers like Skype or are using some applications on the web. With the innovation of high-speed computing devices, large-scale deployment of wireless networks, Web 3.0, Cloud computing, and social networks, “always connected” is a reality. The Internet continues to grow exponentially. Most of the businesses are connected on and through the Internet. E-commerce, e-business, and other Internet-related businesses are growing at a faster rate than ever before. According to an estimate by one of the leaders in network systems and services, the number of globally connected devices, which was around 8 billion in 2013, is expected to reach 25 billion by 2015, outnumbering the people by twice as much. And the number of devices that are going to be connected to the Internet is estimated to go as high as 50 billion by the year 2020. 1 According to the latest statistics, more than 75% of the world’s population will be connected to the Internet by 2020. The Internet is bringing together people, processes, and data to make network connections more relevant to today’s world. Demand for network-based applications and services are exponentially growing.
Umesh Hodeghatta Rao
- Chapter 10
Neuer Inhalt/© ITandMEDIA


text:
Burnt-down Hanoi light bulb firm to be relocated to Bac Ninh
The recently burnt-down Rang Dong Light Source & Vacuum Flask JSC in Hanoi will be relocated to the northern province of Bac Ninh.
The fire causes a loss of around VND150 billion for Rang Dong Light Source & Vacuum Flask JSC
On August 28, the 6,000-square metre company headquartered in Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan District was devastated by a five-hour blaze, leading to losses of around VND150 billion (USD6.4 million).
The fire stirred environmental pollution concerns as a vast number of burnt light bulbs released potentially dangerous chemicals.
Tran Trung Tuong, deputy general director of the company, said despite not named in the list of enterprises scheduled for being relocated out of Hanoi’s inner-city areas before 2020, the firm had planned to relocate its headquarters to Que Vo District in Bac Ninh Province where its second factory is located in, even before the fire.
Rang Dong’s land plot Que Vo Industrial Park covers a total area of 8.2 hectares.
Tuong added that the company had hired a business to design its new facilities in Bac Ninh. The relocation of the headquarters was discussed at Rang Dong’s shareholders' meeting in May.
Head of Hanoi-based Rang Dong Light Source and Vacuum Flask JSC has admitted that 480,000 fluorescent light bulbs that were burnt in the fire on August 28 contained liquid mercury.
The Rang Dong JSC has said it no longer uses mercury and other toxic chemicals in it products, clearing concerns over possible contamination after the fire at its light bulb warehouse on Wednesday.


text:
In this episode of Think Tank podcast, we talk about the boom of new brands from China over the last years and the rise of a new generation of consumers who have re-shaped the consumption landscape and fuelled the ascent of the Chinese brands. Our moderator and former BBC World News presenter, Nisha Pillai, talks to Jen-Ai Chua, Singapore-based Investment Analyst at Julius Baer, and Esteban Polidura, Head of Advisory and Products for the Americas at Julius Baer.
“Made in China” has evolved into “Made by China”, driven by the country’s shift towards a consumption-driven economy, policy support for home-grown champions, changing inter-generational preferences, and the one-off boost to domestic consumption from the Covid-19 pandemic. Chinese companies are also giving foreign brands a run for their money with insightful marketing, clever use of digital tools, superior supply chain management and quality product offerings.
Why have the Chinese brands been rising so quickly recently? Are Chinese buyers embracing home-grown brands? And what about the rest of the world? Is there a similar revolution going on? Our Think Tank Podcast explains.
Listen to the podcast
Click on the player below to listen to the conversation:
Powerful economic, social and demographic drivers at work
Chinese brands have traditionally been well known in hardware-related sectors like computers and mobile phones – think Lenovo and Huawei, for instance. But in recent years, we have seen the emergence of exciting new brands in a diverse range of sectors previously dominated by foreign brands. Heytea and Nayuki, for example, are giving Starbucks a run for their money in the beverages segment in China. Li Ning and Anta are catching up on Nike and Adidas in sportswear. And Perfect Diary, Herborist and Proya are making big market share gains in the domestic cosmetics and skincare segments.
“At the macroeconomic level, China is undergoing a tectonic shift from an export-oriented growth model to one that is consumption driven. Separately, a long period of economic growth has created a sizeable middle class with deep pockets for discretionary spending”, says Jen-Ai Chua, Julius Baer’s Investment Analyst, during this conversation.
In terms of demography, the profile of the consumer is changing. Millennials and Gen Z are taking over as mainstream consumers. They tend to be spenders rather than savers, and are more open to exploring young upstart Chinese brands with a strong Chinese identity. “They are also digital natives. To this end, technology has been a great enabler of the rise in Chinese brands”, adds Chua. China is the global leader in online shopping, with the highest penetration rate of 79%, and Chinese brands have harnessed the power of the internet to great effect.
Opportunities for investors
Consumption is becoming a dominant driver of China’s economic growth as we are heading towards a bi-polar world. And the healthcare sector, among others, might offer opportunities for investors.
Healthcare demand is naturally increasing given demographics first of all. The elderly population will reach 300m for the first time. On the other hand, new-born registrations were 10m in 2020, which is 15% lower than 2019. Second, health awareness is also increasing. Consumers are more willing to purchase commercial health insurance and perform independent diagnostics and health checks. And third, more Chinese are suffering from chronic diseases, unfortunately.
“Policies have arguably impacted the sector economics, but they should accelerate consolidation and benefit national champions”, says Esteban Polidura, Julius Baer’s Head of Advisory & Products for the Americas. “We should keep track especially of digital healthcare, which includes online diagnosis, health and wellness management, as well as sales and marketing services. It is estimated that the total addressable internet healthcare market may reach RMB 2trn in 2025”, he completes.


text:
Do not invest more money than you can afford to lose.
The Financial and Consumer Services Commission of the Canadian province New Brunswick (FCNB) has issued a warning against the company Bitcoin-bank.io that claims to be a “cryptobank”, payment card solutions, wallet services and an opportunity to invest in its BTCB coin. The company also claims that it has a software that makes trading in cryptocurrency highly profitable and without risk.
According to FCNB, it became aware of the existence of the company after coming across an ad for investment opportunities in an online classifieds site. However Bitcoin-bank.io is not egistered to trade in, or advise on, securities or derivatives in New Brunswick and its activities in the province are illegal.
Furthermore, the Commission found that the Californian street address provided on Bitcoin-bank.io is fake, i.e. there is no such company there and that the pictures of the purported team of the company have been taken from other sites, with changed names and the content has been copied from other sites.
Our check revealed that Bitcoin-Bank.io offers the crypto coins BTCB (of which nobody has heard) that can be used as an investment tool or a payment, through a Visa co-branded card. According to the company, their trading software, obviously a trading robot, can bring profits of up to 33% per day. Usually the promises of such unrealistically high profits are indeed unrealistic and a scam.


text:
(TibetanReview.net, Jan 02) – The Chinese government of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) had said that with effect from Jan 1, the average lowest social security payment for employees was raised to 310 yuan per capita per month in Lhasa, 300 yuan in Nyingchi, Lhoka, Xigaze and Chamdo, 320 in Nagqu and Ngari, according to China’s online Tibet news service eng.Tibet.cn Jan 1. The policy measure appears to be designed especially to address the well-being of Chinese employees since to them the remote northern Nagqu and western Ngari would clearly be hardship postings, and, hence, the higher minimum payment.
Indeed, for a representative beneficiary of the policy measure, the report featured a photo of one Li Wenxiang, a Chinese man described as a needy worker of Lhasa Grain and Oil Industry Corporation. He was quoted as saying, “I’m happy to hear the news that lowest social security payment raised. It means this year I have the money to send my son to the kindergarten again.”
The report said the TAR Civil Affairs Department had handed out the lowest social security payments for needy people to make sure they could celebrate the New Year normally.
Meanwhile, with the Tibetans in no mood to usher in their New Year with any degree of festivities, given the fact that many had been killed, rendered disappeared or being still under detention in China’s brutal crackdown on their generally peaceful uprising protests in Mar’08, Chinese Spring Festival seems to dominate the idea of Tibetan New Year. “We feel happy as the new year approaches, so our family go shopping today together,” an eng.Tibet.cn report Dec 30 quoted a Chinese named Miss Wei as saying while selecting things in Baiyi Supermarket, located at the Beijing Middle Road in Lhasa


text:
Last Tuesday, Verizon won a case against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in a US court, where the judge ruled that "the FCC had over-reached its powers in imposing 'net neutrality' rules on internet service providers" (see FT article here). While the battle for (or against) net neutrality is far from over - e.g. the FCC considers an appeal among other possible measures - it is definitely a decisive step towards differential pricing for speed/transmission quality of internet content. Advocates of net neutrality argue that this may favour large internet companies with deep pockets (e.g. Google) and lock out cash-poor start-ups, thereby stifling innovation. But does this argument really hold?
For one, perfect net neutrality cannot really exist. Bandwidth is a limited resource and, being free, congestion is impossible to avoid. Service providers have always had to manage bandwidth to make sure that one provider is not overusing the system to the detriment of others. Until now, they’ve had to do this in an ad hoc manner. It seems to me that creating a market for bandwidth is not necessarily a bad idea: maybe running an auction in real time? For one, this may actually increase overall bandwidth because companies investing in infrastructure can recoup their investments better by charging their users more efficiently (the assumption being that consumers' willingness to pay for content will be reflected in content providers' willingness to pay for bandwidth, i.e. access to these consumers).
A consequence is that free content may be more scarce on the internet. But again, while this is bad for consumers in the short-run, it may actually help innovation (content providers can charge for their material), thereby making consumers better off in the long run. Wouldn't it be great, for instance, if sites providing pirated content would be 'penalised' for using excessive amounts of bandwidth? Funnily, Google, which counts as an "incumbent with deep pockets" is a big supporter of net neutrality. Doesn't this suggest that it benefits disproportionately from it? Given the bandwidth used to upload and stream YouTube videos, it wouldn't be surprising.
More generally, it is not clear that such "heavy" regulation (net neutrality is pretty heavy in my mind) is needed in this case. The FCC could impose a "minimum access" rule for instance in the spirit of "free speech" but let the market figure out how to price scarce resources beyond that.
Leave a Comment


text:
2K's Newest Elemental Players Drop Features Michael Jordan and Other Dark MattersApr-14-2023 PST
NBA 2K23 Season 6 MyTEAM has just released new Elemental players drop featuring some of the best players in the game, including Michael Jordan, Kawhi Leonard, and Dwight Howard. Jordan is finally getting a new Dark Matter card in MyTeam, and it's not just any Dark Matter. This one can play the point guard position and comes with a hero card. We're also getting new Dark Matters and Galaxy Opals, but some players are worried because 2K has lowered the number of players in this drop.
Dark Matter Michael Jordan
Jordan's new Dark Matter card is a long-awaited addition to the game. As one of the greatest players of all time, many have been waiting for MJ to join the game. It's about time he gets a 99 overall card, especially since we've been getting so many shooting guards. We do have a holographic for good luck, but 2K needs to give him some of the best animations, as they tend to give big-name players some of the worst animations ever. The MJ Dark Matter will be a six-foot-six point guard with excellent stats.
Dark Matter Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard is another player getting a new Dark Matter card. The new card is expected to be an Elemento card and is a much-awaited addition to the game, considering how long it has been since we got a really good Kawhi card. The stats will be much better than before, with a 90 three-point and 95-driving dunk rating. The defense will be elite, and the speed is expected to be excellent. There's a Hollow Kawhi card that can be rubbed for good luck.
Dark Matter Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard is finally getting the respect he deserves with a new Dark Matter card in MyTeam. Despite carrying his team to the finals, Dwight hasn't received the recognition he deserves as a top NBA player. The new card is expected to be an athletic defensive type of Beast, just like Michael Jordan and Kawhi Leonard. It's surprising that it took this long for him to get a 99 overall card, considering how good he is.
There's also Galaxy Opal Hero Kyle Kuzma and Pink Diamond Hero Mo Bamba. A lot of excitement surrounding the new drop, but some players are worried about the lower number of players included. The drop is a much-awaited addition to the game, but it's always nerve-wracking when 2K lowers the number of players included. Some players are hoping for good luck and are rubbing their holographic cards for good fortune.
The new MyTeam drop featuring Michael Jordan, Kawhi Leonard, and Dwight Howard is sure to be a hit with fans of the game. These players are some of the best in the game, and their new Dark Matter cards are much-awaited additions to the game. While some players are worried about the lower number of players in the drop, others are hoping for good luck and are rubbing their holographic cards for good fortune. It remains to be seen what other surprises 2K has in store for fans of the game, but for now, fans can enjoy these new cards and the excitement they bring to the game.
NBA2king buy cheap NBA 2K23 MT for NBA 2K23 Season 6 MyTEAM Newest Elemental Players Drop to get Dark Matter Hero Michael Jordan, Kawhi Leonard, and Dwight Howard! All MT services can get 3% off using code "NBA2KING".